QOTD: Haven't I Seen You Somewhere Before?

It happens from time to time, even to people who spend their days gazing at the long, shapely flanks of the world’s most dazzling crossovers. Sometimes other vehicle types, too.

Often, there’s just too much rolling stock out there. Too many models that hit the scene, only to be quickly forgotten amid the constant deluge of new metal, new fascias, new nameplates. Driving along in heavy traffic, pulling up to a light, or even just standing there, watching cars pass, you sometimes come across a vehicle whose identity flummoxes you. The brain draws a blank.

I should know what that is, your mind says, but what the hell is it?

As a feeling of shame washes over you, the grey matter suddenly flies into gear. The mental cogs start grinding. Memory banks are are combed through, with the first obvious clues punched in like a keyword search. The badge, if you can see it. The recognition of a certain shape or design feature indicative of a certain brand. Usually, this, plus a moment or two, is all anyone needs to hit the right answer.

Only very rarely does the brain go so far offline that a name must be sought out on the exterior of a vehicle, assuming the subject’s not speeding past.

Such a moment happened last night as yours truly sat at a light. Or was it in a freeway backup? Driving becomes a blur sometimes, but this vehicle arrested my thoughts in a hurry. Nice sedan, I thought. Or is it a liftback? It looks kind of like a Civic, but it… isn’t. Acura? Nope. Hold on, what’s going on here?

What makes this bout of mental confusion over a compact passenger car so memorable is that it wasn’t the first time. This particular model has played the same jarring head game with your author before — perhaps eight months ago, maybe more.

It was a Honda Insight.

Blame a lack of local sales and a general media blackout for the model’s continued unfamiliarity. The mildly upscale hybrid surprised us all when Honda resurrected it for the 2019 model year, but its existence was soon overshadowed by more memorable models from other brands. Few people talk about it, and I can’t even recall the last time I saw someone mention it on Twitter. American Honda sold 8,886 Insights through July, versus 153,046 Civics.

I see considerably more Tesla Model 3s roaming the roads up here.

Your turn, B&B. What model recently turned your brain into a land of confusion?

[Image: Honda]